Dear Praying Friends,
Our purpose in this update is very simple. We just want to say thank you for everything you are and everything you have done for us. We know that mere words cannot adequately express the full extent of our gratitude, but in what follows, we hope you are able to capture a glimpse of our hearts.
First, we want to thank you for your prayers. We say this often, and it’s always true. We have no way of knowing how many of you pray for us and how often you pray for us, but when we see God at work in our ministry in Knysna, we know this isn’t happening by chance. Scripture tells us that prayer is effective, and we see evidence of that every day. For those of you who pray for us, please continue in your faithful service to God on our behalf. We need you to pray for us individually and as a family. We need you to pray for us in our spiritual growth and for the effectiveness of our testimony. We need you to pray for our physical and financial needs. We need you to pray for our extended families in the States. We need you to pray for the people here that we minister to daily. The prayer list is virtually endless, and so we need and thank you for your effective, fervent, continued prayer.
Second, we want to thank you for your financial support. Being called to the mission field is exciting, yet humbling, because we know that we depend upon your support for everything we need. We say “humbling” because at the end of each month, we know that none of the credit for our survival belongs to us – it’s all glory to God, who works mightily through you! Due to your faithful giving, we are free to engage full-time in ministry. Most people in ministry must also work a regular job, which limits their ability to be singularly focused on what they’re most passionate about. But because of you, we are truly blessed to be able to invest all our time and resources in the fulfillment of our mission here.
Third, we want to thank you for the various ways you show love and care to us. Some of you send us frequent messages, while others surprise us with notes or cards in the mail (we love this even though sometimes it takes months for mail to arrive). A few of you have even come to visit! These times are highlights of our year. Whether you’re keeping us informed of how things are going stateside or asking us how things are here, we appreciate you loving us in this way. Loneliness on the mission field seems to be a common struggle, and to be sure, we sometimes feel far away. But overall, we don’t experience loneliness to a great degree, and we thank you for your part in keeping us close.
Finally, we want to thank you for your faithfulness in ministry to us. We often talk about how you help us do ministry, and that’s true. But please know that helping us do ministry is itself a ministry that brings glory to God. Your continued service is a shining example of what God can do when people are faithful to Him.
With ever-increasing thanks,
The Coon Family